Marlow

This delightfully rural
idyll, located on the banks of the Thames, has a long
and interesting history. The town centre is a charming
mix of old and new buildings. The broad main street
and West Street are lined with fine 16th and 18th century
buildings. The 14th-c Old Parsonage, in St Peter's
Street, is believed to be the oldest house in the town,
containing fine paneled rooms and decorative windows.

Marlow's wide High Street leads to a historic
suspension bridge (circa 1831) over the river, which
provides a good view of the foaming weir and lock downstream
and wooded hills upstream. This elegant crossing was
designed by William Tierney Clark, and is the only
remaining example of his work. The Grade I listed structure
was fully renovated in 1965.

The best way to view Marlow is from the river, where
its pretty gardens and mature trees run down to the
water's edge. All Saints Church (visible on the north
bank above), has a fine soaring spire that dominates
the area. The annual Marlow Regatta and Festival celebrates
life on the river every June, with rowing races, traditional
stalls, fine cuisine, music and riverside activities.

An obelisk milestone (1822) in the Market Place,
indicates the town was once an important staging post
for travellers. The Crown Hotel, previously called
the Remnantz, was reputed to be a watering hole for
the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin.

West Street, known locally as Poets Row, has associations
with Percy Shelley and his wife Mary who wrote Frankenstein.
They lived here for several years in Albion House.
T. S. Eliot also lived at 31 West Street, after the
war. The town has many other literary connections.
It was at the riverside pub, the Two Brewers, that
Jerome K. Jerome wrote his humorous account of "Three
Men in a Boat", and fishing aficionado Izaak
Walton's "The Compleat Angler", is celebrated in the
name of the Compleat Angler Hotel at Marlow Bridge.

The principal open space in Marlow is Higginson
Park, set in
spectacular riverside setting. The area covers some
23 acres, with mature trees and gardens, a children's
playground, skate park, bowls club, cricket pitch and
a sports and leisure facility. The Thames
Path trail,
one of the most popular walks in Britain, passes
along the riverside here. This part of the river also
provides mooring for pleasure craft. Boats can be hired,
as well as river cruises to Windsor and Henley.